Protect The Ones You Love
by cbssoapsgirl
Summary: You have to protect the people you love. Sometimes it's hard to do especially when all they do is fight with you about it.
1. Jake

"Please Cyrus, I will be fine. I just can't make it in to work this week."

"He's not going to like this," Cyrus told Olivia after she called him saying she was not coming into do her job as press secretary.

"You know exactly what to do. And he and I aren't together anymore. You know this. My assistant will be there in a bit to attend all the meetings that I have scheduled. Please don't give her a hard time."

"Are you aware that you and Jacob Ballard are on every tabloid, newspaper, channel, and newsfeed there is? Are you screwing him?"

"God no!"

"Are you screwing anyone?"

"I'm not exactly sure how that is any of your business but no I'm not."

"Not even…"

"No Cyrus, not even Fitz."

"I'm just wondering."

"Well wonder later. Tell him that I will be in hopefully next week."

Before Cyrus could say anything, she hung up. Something had to be wrong for her to miss an entire week of work. And her not telling him anything about it was more worrying. Cyrus went into the Oval and met Fitz's eye.

"Is she in yet?" Fitz asked staring down at something on his desk.

"Olivia's not coming in."

"Have you seen these?" Fitz handed him all the tabloids and newspapers on his desk, wanting them out of his sight. "Why isn't she coming in?"

"I have seen them. I don't know why she isn't coming. She just called and told me she wasn't coming."

"She's not answering my calls or texts. You call her and tell her I want her in this office in thirty minutes. I will send Tom and Hal to go get her if she doesn't." Fitz threatened as he went into his private study.

Cyrus pulled out his cell phone and sent Liv the message and waited for a response. He went in after Fitz once she replied.

"She's not coming."

Fitz stood and went to the door getting Tom's attention, "go get her."

After an hour the two agents came back to Fitz. "She's not home and not at OPA. Her car is in the garage at the apartment though."

Severely irritated, Fitz took Cyrus's phone and called Olivia.

"I'm not kidding, Cyrus."

"Neither am I, Olivia," Fitz scolded her. "I want you in the Oval now."

"I'm sorry Mr. President but that it's a possibility right now. My assistant is on her way to the White House to cover for me. I'll be out at least for the week if not more. You'll just have to deal with Abby until I'm able to get back."

"Able? Since when are you not 'able' to come to work?"

"Fitz."

"If this is about you and me I told you that as long as you stayed as press secretary that I will not bother you. I just need to know that you are safe and protected. We might not be together but I still care."

"And I still care about you and your safety which is why I'm not coming in."

"Then where are you? I'll come to you."

"You know that's not possible."

"I can make it possible. Tell me where you are."

"No."

"At least tell me that you're safe. Is Jake with you?"

"NO! HE IS NOT WITH ME!"

Fitz hit a nerve. Something had happened, and it had to involve Jake. "Liv, are you safe?"

"For now."

"Oh my God, Olivia! I've had it! Tell me where you are right now."

Olivia let out a huge sigh; she was not going to win this one. "James Madison Hospital."

"I'll be there in twenty minutes."


	2. Hospital Visit

_"Is it because of him?"_

 _"Him? Him who?" Olivia questioned Jake as they laid in bed together again._

 _"The President, Fitz. It's because of him you won't let me touch you or anything," Jake answered. They'd been sleeping in the same bed for over a month and been dating for three but she has never let him touch her. "I'm not sure if it's me or if it's him. One of us is the reason that you won't have sex with me."_

 _"I'm not having sex with you because I don't want to. And whatever Fitz and I were has nothing to do with you. He's my boss. He's just my boss."_

 _"In bed too I guess."_

 _"Excuse me?"_

 _"I'm just saying. He's the boss in and out of bed for you. You do what he says."_

 _"Well I'm saying get the hell out of my apartment! Don't ever come back," Liv yelled at him getting out of bed._

 _Jake grabbed her ankle and twisted it as she moved to get out from under the blankets causing her to fall face first to the floor._

 _"I think you should get back in bed and take care of me."_

Olivia stared at the ceiling of the hospital room she was in. This was going to be a long day with Fitz on his way to her. She tried to think of anything she could do to stop him but he knew she was in the hospital and he was a man on a mission.

"Olivia Pope's room," she heard Fitz ask someone in the hallway. A few seconds later he was standing in the doorway of her room. "Holy hell." Fitz stood there a moment stunned at the sight of her. Her left leg in a cast elevated above her head on a pully, her left arm in a sling, her face had scratch marks all over.

She let him take a good look at her for another minute before she grew annoyed. "I've looked a lot worse."

"No, no you haven't. What the hell happened? When did this happen?" Fitz asked closing the door behind him as he came over to her side. "Who did this?"

"Well you are right. Dating is not the greatest game. And I think this is probably the worst I've ever looked."

"Olivia, I want to know who did…"

"Jake."

"Jake?"

"Yeah, he did a great job at protecting me for you. I'm glad you chose him to do the job," Liv told him sarcastically.

"Jacob Ballard did this to you? How?"

"Multiple ways, Fitz. When are you going to realize that I cannot be protected? I am not yours to protect. You can't have old Navy buddies coming around to pretend to be my boyfriend when they have some sort of vendetta against you. He knew about us. He knew everything about us. And now… and now I look like this."

"I honestly can't believe he did this to you. I trusted him!"

"Trust no one Fitz. Haven't you learned that already?"

Fitz rubbed his face as he sat staring at her. How could someone do this to her? How could someone do this to another living person? Something had to be done about Jake that was for sure. Someone had to do something, and he knew just the person to handle this.

"How bad is it?"

"Shattered bone in my leg, twisted ankle, and dislocated shoulder. That's the hard stuff."

"Any pain?"

"I've been on very high dosages of pain killers."

"Been on? When did this happen?"

"Friday night."

"You mean to tell me you have been here in this room since Friday night and I only found out about it today? Why the hell didn't you call me sooner?"

"If you'll remember, I didn't call you, you called me. And there's nothing for you to do."

"Bull shit! You should have called me when you even went into the hospital. In the ambulance on the way here."

"How do you know I came by ambulance?"

"Your car is still at your apartment and I doubt you would have called someone to come get you."

They sat quietly for a few minutes, Fitz just staring between her and her leg.

"I can see the wheels turning. What do you think you are doing?"

"Handling this," he said as he got up to leave the room.

"Fitz! Fitz! Fitzgerald!" Liv called after him but he wouldn't turn around. The door closed to the room and he went to the waiting room.

"Tom, give your phone." Without hesitation, he handed the phone to him, knowing who he was calling. Fitz dialed the number and waited for the answer.

"Do you know she's in the hospital? How could you let this happen to her? You were supposed to be watching her!"


	3. Visitor

"Sir, he's here."

Tom popped his head into the hospital room where Fitz was sitting with Olivia.

"I'll be right back," Fitz told her as he got up. She tried to protest but he still walked out.

Olivia stared at the door, hoping that she would be able to figure out who was here to talk with Fitz. More than likely it's Jake, she thought. Though he'd be stupid to show up and talk to Fitz after she told him what happened.

"You said you would watch her. You swore that she would be alright. We had a deal," Fitz nearly yelled.

"What is she doing here? How did this happen? I need to see her."

"No. She's resting. And I don't want you near her."

"I believe that's her decision."

Fitz tried to stop him but he went into the room with Olivia.

"Dad?" Olivia sat up and looked over at him with Fitz behind her. "You called my father? Seriously Fitz?"

"He should have called me, Olivia. Why didn't you call me?"

"Jake did this to me! Jake was the… wait a second. How did you know how to find him, Fitz?"

Fitz sat next to her in the chair he was previously in. "I've known Rowan for a long time. He's had Jake watching you too," he told her waiting for that to sink in for her. "We both trust Jake."

"Well not anymore," Eli put in.

"Trusted. We both trusted him to look after you. That's… Rowan and I had a deal that I would stay away from you, but Jake had to watch you. Make sure that you were okay. Obviously now, our deal is void," Fitz said looking at Eli who nodded. "We had to make sure that you were taken care of."

"Whose idea was this originally?"

"Mine," Eli told her. "Jake was actually watching you already when Fitzgerald came to me. That just increased your level of protection."

Olivia sighed and looked between the two of them. "When are you two going to understand that I do not need protection? Other than from the two of you."

"Olivia," both men started to say at the same time.

"No! I've had it with the two of you deciding how to run my life. You," she pointed at Eli, "send me off to boarding school and ignore me for 15 years. And you," pointing at Fitz, "decide when and where I go at any given time and what job I have. I'm done. I want you both out. I want nothing to do with either of you!" She screamed at them.

"You are being unreasonable, Olivia. You have never taken care of yourself. You have always had someone taking care of you," Eli said. "Even when you thought you were taking care of yourself, someone has been taking care of you."

Fitz nodded and added in. "I have to agree with him. As long as I have known you someone has taken care of you. Cyrus, Mellie, me, Jake, Abby, Huck. Someone is taking care of you."

"Then by that, don't you think it'd be about time that I take care of myself? I don't need you two walking around me or having someone spy on me. Quit trying to run my life!"

"Quit acting like a child, Olivia," Eli yelled at her.

"I am not acting like a child! I am just done with the two of you. I don't want either of you interfering with my life again."

Fitz stared at her for a moment before leaving the room. Tom stood outside the door refusing to allow anyone into the room.

"I want you with her at all times," he told Tom. "I don't want her left alone. I want Jake Ballard found and brought in. I don't care what kind of consequences there are. I want it done."

"Yes, sir."

Eli sat in the chair next to her bed. "He wants to protect you. He doesn't want anything to happen to you."

"He has happened to me. None of this ever would have happened if we weren't involved. We wouldn't be in this situation."

"And yet here we are, and you can't turn back the clock. So do you think that this is going to be a possibility to get you more protection."

"I don't want more protection. I don't want any protection from either of you." She turned her head away from him wanting the conversation to be over.

Eli left the room and saw Tom standing there, closing the door behind him. "You'll be monitoring her?"

"Round the clock."

"I'm glad that boy has some notion of protecting her."


	4. Other Trauma

"Any update on Ballard yet?"

"Sorry Mr. President," Daniel announced, "he's still in the wind. We'll find him though. He won't be ahead for much longer."

Fitz walked through the halls of the West Wing set to go to Olivia's office to get a few details from her assistant. "He had three days ahead of us before we knew to be looking for him. Team up with Rowan and find out what he knows. I'm sure he's doing his own investigation into this. Luckily he's on the right side of this, this time."

"Yes, Sir." Daniel followed a few steps out of Olivia's office, allowing Fitz to talk with her assistant himself.

"How's it here, Abby?"

Startled, Abby dropped her cell phone to the floor and turned to see Fitz standing just inside the door. "Oh! Mr. President, one moment" she told him picking up her phone. "I will call you back in a few minutes," Abby said before hanging up and putting the phone on the table. "It's fine here. I wasn't expecting you to be coming down here."

"Olivia is my press secretary. I needed to get her remarks for a press conference. I believe she said it was in her desk."

"I could have brought that to you. What did you really come here for?"

"Are you questioning the President?" Fitz smirked seeing he was not as sneaky as he thought he was.

"Should I be questioning someone else?"

"She's told you, then."

"Everything. Liv and I have no secrets."

"She's healing better every day," Fitz told her taking a seat in front of the desk. "Her bruising is going away pretty quick."

"Mmmhmm." Abby avoided looking at his glares towards her, she kept playing with a stack of folders on the desk that she would be taken care of soon. Looking around the room to avoid his eyes, Abby noticed Tom standing outside the door to the office and she shook her head no.

Following her movements, Fitz found what she was saying no to. Not only did Tom stand outside the office door, so did Mark and Ben, the other two agents he tasked with staying at Olivia's hospital room.

"What are you three doing here?" Fitz stood and demanded to know what was going on. He looked between the three of them waiting for an answer but no one spoke. "Has she left the hospital? Did you take her home? What is going on here?"

Stepping forward, Tom stood in front of Fitz. "She had us removed from the hospital. She said we were a nuisance and she wouldn't be healing."

"So three secret service agents can be removed from a hospital that were put there under Presidential orders? When did she force you to leave?"

"Two days ago. She said she was fine and we argued about it having been under your orders that we would have to stay so she called the board of the hospital and had us removed."

"Who has been sitting with her then? What if Ballard gets to her!"

"Mr. President, we have every entrance and exit blocked by our agents. No one is getting in or out of there without being identified by us first," Tom informed him.

"Does Rowan know about this?"

"His men are taking the night shift, we have the day shift."

"Bring the car around I want to be to the hospital in thirty minutes."

"Yes, sir."

Tom left with Daniel to get things set in motion for their departure leaving Fitz alone with Abby again.

"How well do you know Liv's father?" Abby asked him as she stacked up the things she would need to take for Olivia's oversight.

"Probably about as well as you do. I know they haven't been on good terms for many years. But I also know that Rowan would never let anyone hurt his daughter knowingly. Which is why we have to find Ballard. After what he's done to Olivia, there's not a safe place in hell he will find. Between my guys and Rowan's we'll find him and he will pay for what he's done to Olivia," Fitz told her. The mere thought of Olivia in the hospital bed has been killing him. He couldn't wait to make Jake Ballard suffer for all that he's done. Betraying their friendship was one thing but he severely crossed the line when he attacked her.

"Do you believe that they will find Jake?" Abby asked.

"I won't stop hunting him until he's paid for everything he's caused, Abby. Olivia knows how much she means to me and there's no way I will let any one get away with hurting her."

"I'm very glad she has you, Mr. President. She really seems to love you."

"Well, love is a bit hard for her. For both of us but we will make it through. Why don't you give me those papers that Liv needs to go through and I'll take them to her myself. You look exhausted, Abby."

She handed him the papers with notes attached to the ones she had questions about and set off for home.

Fitz walked off with Mark and Ben back to the limo to go to the hospital. Arriving twenty minutes later, he went up to the secured floor Olivia was on and saw Rowan standing outside the door of her room talking with a doctor.

"Fitzgerald, come over here." Rowan ordered him.

Without hesitation Fitz ran over worried something more horrific had happened. "What's wrong? Is she ok?"

"I upped her pain meds to double them. There's more damage than she initially let on about," the doctor told both of the men.

"More damage? No no, she's just got a few bone breaks," Fitz informed him.

"That's only the outside, there's more injuries to her," Rowan added.

"Aside from the twisted ankle, the shattered bone in her leg, and a dislocated shoulder; Ms. Pope also has had a concussion, internal bleeding, and some… well… trauma," The doctor said.

"What kind of trauma? Emergency surgery kind of trauma?" Fitz asked needing to hear all of it.

"No, sir. Well, Mr. Pope but I think this may be something that she should tell you herself. We aren't 100 percent sure about it."

"About what?" Rowan demanded.

"Sir, we think… it's possible… Ms. Pope may have been sexually assaulted."

Rowan looked at Fitz who was more pertified than anything else. Some could hurt Olivia like that? Someone he knew and trusted could hurt her, in that way? Both men's minds were going a thousand miles a minute. The look between the two of them showed the doctor enough to back off and leave the area for a while. Fitz looked over Rowan's shoulder to see Olivia asleep in the hospital bed.

"I want him dead."

"When I find that son of a bitch he's going to regret ever joining B-613," Rowan scowled. "I'm putting more of my guys on the hunt to find him. Someone will be here with her at all times, I don't give a damn what she says."

"I agree. Have you been here all this time?"

"Of course I have, I needed to make sure that she was behaving and not trying to get out of here. I know my daughter very well and as soon as she thinks she's better she'll be heading to the door."

"That girl has got to learn to take better care of herself. Rowan, go home, I'll sit with her tonight. I've brought everything I need to take care of. And you need to get some rest if we're going to put our heads together and get Jake Ballard off this planet."

"I suppose you are right, I won't be of any help to her on no sleep. But if she wakes up or anything happens I…"

"You will be my first call. I promise Rowan, Olivia will not be out of my sight."

"Good. She's yelled at me a few times today already to get out and leave her alone. She didn't want to talk about Ballard at all. I'm hoping that she may have an idea as to where he is. See if you can get anything out of her about what happened. It's a long shot but I'd like to be sure before I put a bullet in his brain."

Fitz nodded as he listened to Rowan continue on. "She's been awake then?"

"Off and on. The medication is keeping her very relaxed and asleep. She woke up screaming a few times while I was here but she's calm when she opens her eyes. She didn't want you to stay here with her. She sent the secret service away too. Called in the big guy of the hospital and made him make them leave. So she's not going to be too happy to find you here when she wakes up."

"I'll just have to take that chance. Like I said, I'm not letting her out of my sight."

Fitz shook Rowan's hand and watched him get on the elevator with an agent before going into the hospital room. He leaned over Olivia and gave her a kiss on her forehead then looked her over. Her leg was still in a cast above the bed on a pulley, her arm in a sling, her face tore up with marking from what he figured was Jake's fingers. And that's only what he could physically see now, he'd be in for it when Olivia was back to herself and dealing with the fall out of this Jake incident.


	5. Good Morning

"Well good morning, sleepyhead," Fitz looked up from his paperwork to see Olivia slowly opening her eyes to adjust to the darkness of the room.

"Oh hell, what are you doing here?" Olivia groaned as she tried to sit up in bed.

"You're in the hospital."

"I know that. But why are YOU here?"

"Because you are in the hospital. Where else would I be?"

"In the Oval office where you belong. Instead of sitting in a hospital room next to you mistress's bed."

"You are not my mistress."

"Sorry, you're right. Ex-mistress."

Fitz balled his hand into a fist irritated with her words again. "I'm not having this argument with you. I need to know where Jake is."

Olivia used her uninjured arm to try to sit herself up but failed making Fitz grab the remote for the bed to sit her up himself. "Why would I know where he is?"

"He didn't tell you he was leaving town or anything? Going on a work trip?"

"No, Fitz, he didn't tell me after he beat the hell out of me that he was going on a vacation."

"Did he do anything other than this to you?"

"Wha… what?" Olivia looked surprised that he would ask such a thing. "What are you talking about?"

"Olivia, did he force you…. Did he rape you?" She couldn't meet his eyes and looked across the room away from him. "Olivia? I need to know."

"Why? Why do you need to know?"

"Rowan is out there searching for him and so are my people. I need to know if he did more than the outer damage to you. Did you force himself on you? Did he do anything else to you?"

"Fitz please just let it go."

"If you don't tell me I will just have them come in here and do a rape kit anyway."

"Invasion of privacy by the President of the United States. How the hell did I end up like this?" Liv mumbled under her breath. "And if he did?"

"Then we have a much bigger problem than him just being on the run right now. Rowan called all of B6-13 to find him. We know about the concussion and internal bleeding and bruising. The doctor told me and Rowan everything, Liv. That sent Rowan even more over the edge. He's going to find Jake, and he's going to kill him. Not that I'm complaining, I want him dead too. I'd just like to be there to see it."

Liv checked her body over as much as she could see. Running that night through her mind again she remembered what he did to her. She knew she was sore from him raping her but didn't think that it would be that bad when it clicked that that is where she was bruised.

"They already did a rape kit," she told him finally looking in his direction.

"Liv, I'm so sor…"

"Do not apologize. I don't want your sympathy. I want you to find him. Find Jake and let me see him."

"You want to see him? Are you out of your mind?"

"I want to be the one to put a bullet in his head."


	6. Getting Out

"Olivia is being brought home tonight. I figured you would want to be there when she gets released."

Fitz stared up at Cyrus after he had made his announcement without knocking on the door. Olivia had been in the hospital for nearly a month still recovering from her traumatic deal with Jake. Even though everyone, including official government agencies, were searching for Jake he still had yet to be found. Rowan had sent every person he had to go find him but not one thing turned up as to where he could be. Fitz and Rowan had agreed to put more protection on Olivia in the hospital, which did not make her happy but they weren't crowding around her room. Liv had been working on Fitz's State of the Union address while she was in the hospital since she didn't have much else to do.

Hearing that she was coming home, Fitz looked up at Cyrus to acknowledge him. "Any luck on Ballard yet?"

"Not yet. But Rowan isn't giving up any time soon."

"Neither are we. There's no way in hell I'm going to let that bastard live once I find him. But Liv wants to be the one to kill him. I can't say I can deny her that."

"Olivia doesn't have it in her to kill anyone," Cyrus laughed. "Don't get me wrong, she's a pitbull but she'd never kill someone."

"That's up to her. I'm not going to stop her and I don't think Rowan will either."

"Are you going to see her home tonight?"

"If I'm allowed past the front desk of her apartment building, then yes, I will."

"So she's still pissed about extra security?"

"She will be when she finds out about her apartment tonight. Send Tom in on your way out."

Cyrus made a mental note to not be within ten miles of Olivia's place tonight, he'd be sure to hear the yelling that was sure to come.

"Mr. President," Tom started when he came into the Oval.

"Her apartment is prepared correct?"

"Yes, sir. Cameras are covering every room. We did a sweep to make sure no bugs were left by Ballard or anyone helping him right now. We've locked down her floor so you'll need a scan card to get to her apartment level. The apartment across from her was vacant so the have a set up in there as well. Two men are stationed outside her apartment at all times and same down in the lobby of the building. Security has been upgraded to that entire building."

"Great. Does she know yet?"

"No, sir. She's still refusing to let any secret service in her hospital room."

"Of course she is. Ensure that no one but me is coming to get her home tonight. Refuse them all, including Rowan to leave with her."

"Yes, sir. If I may, I'd just question if it's a good idea to take her back to her apartment at all?"

Fitz sat down on the couch after he gathered the few things he would need for the night at Olivia's. "I'd like to take her to Camp David or Vermont or somewhere that I know she will be safe from him but she's against all of that. Trying to get her to go is nearly impossible."

"If it should come down to it, we can take her. Physically remove her, that is."

"I appreciate the offer but I'd like to stay on her good side for a while. At least until Ballard is found."

Tom smirked as he went back towards the door. "The car will be ready in a half hour."

Fitz spent the time reading over some of his works and the notes that he made to speak to Olivia about his SOTU address, as that was going to be his excuse for staying as late as he was planning to at her apartment.

When he arrived at the hospital to take Olivia home, Rowan was sitting in the waiting room on her floor waiting for him to arrive.

"Fitz," he shouted for him to make his presence known, making Fitz walk over to him. "Don't worry, I will need you to take Olivia home. I am just giving you an update." Rowan motioned for him to take a seat across from him and waited. "I just got intel that Ballard has left the country. He used a friend of his private plane to leave about a week ago. It's a small plane that wasn't cleared for any landing. I have people ah, interviewing, his friend now. We'll find out where he is and get him back here."

"He's out of the country? How did you let this happen!" Fitz screamed at him.

"I didn't let him out of the country. We are going to find him and bring him back here. He's not going to get far."

"You said that a month ago. How could he have just left the country a week ago and you nor I have found him or any trace of him?"

"Ballard is trained for this type of thing: going under ground. But he's not as good as he thinks he is. For now, I need you to take Olivia home and be sure that she has what she needs." Rowan grabbed his coat and took off to the elevator for his exit.

Fitz took a few minutes to collect himself and prepare to tell the news to Olivia. After long enough, he headed down to Olivia's room to get her to leave. Just as he opened the door she sat on the edge of the bed trying to put her shoes on.

"Let me help," Fitz told her as he walked into the room. Her leg was still in a full cast and would be for at least another month, her face has healed perfectly, and the sling had been gone for almost a week. He bent down to help her put the shoe on her uninjured foot and backed up so she could stand on her crutches.

"I take it you're my driver home tonight?"

"Secret Service still doesn't let me drive. I'm just your chaufer."

"Better than taking a cab I suppose."

"Most definitely. It also gives me the opportunity to discuss the changes you made to my SOTU."

"And for you to babysit me. You can take me home and then you can leave."

"We'll see."

"Fitz, I am not in the mood to argue with you."

"Then don't. Let's just get you home so we can discuss things."


	7. Home

"Were you planning on telling me that you put even more agents on me?"

Having just got home from the hospital, Olivia wasn't all too pleased to see the Secret Service surrounding her apartment and the several others that Fitz had stationed up and down the street of the building.

"And what the hell is that?" she pointed to the corners of the living room where she could see the cameras that were not hidden well.

"Liv, I'm not arguing about this. Until Jake is found I have all of them here to protect you. The cameras are a deterrent for him to make sure he stays away. Only Secret Service is watching, not me, although if you'd like…"

"Haha, you are so funny. Have you got any leads on where he is?"

"Your father tracked him outside of the country. He took a private plane somewhere but we are tracking him down." Fitz moved closer to her, handing her a glass of water and pain medicine as she sat on the couch. "You have no idea where he is?"

"I'd already have him here if I knew. I want him found even more than you do, Fitz."

Olivia grabbed for her bag she had set down next to her and pulled out the notes for the State of the Union she had been making and handed them to him.

"We have to discuss this now?"

"Isn't that your excuse for staying here so late? Let's make that believable."

Fitz flipped through her notes and added his own for almost an hour. When she stopped responding to him, she looked over to see she was asleep. Carefully, he picked her up and took her to her bedroom laying her in bed. Making sure the cameras were turned away from the bed, he stripped her of her clothes from the hospital and put her silk nightgown on her. Fitz sat on the bed next to her watching her sleep for a while. Hearing the ping on her phone that it was time for another dose of medication to keep the pain at bay, he went to get the meds and water before waking her up. By the time he got back she was already sitting up in bed.

"Pain?" he asked hoping it wasn't too bad for her.

"Only a little. You didn't need to stay. You should be getting back to the White House."

"I wanted to make sure you took these," Fitz told her handing her the pills.

"Check Zanzibar."

"Zanzibar for what?"

"I think Jake might be there."

"Why would he go somewhere like that?"

Taking her pills, she watched Fitz sit down on the edge of her bed next to her before she explained. "After Jerry died that's where I went. With Jake. You and I dreamed of Vermont; Jake wanted the sun with me. He was mad that night that… this all happened, that I hadn't slept with him. He said you were my boss in and out of bed and that's what set him off. I think he may have gone there. There's an island about a hundred miles off the coast of Zanzibar that we stayed at for a while. Check there."

Fitz ran his hands over his face before he said anything. Trying to keep the anger out of his voice, both his present anger and his past anger of her leaving but didn't quite make it.

"And you just now thought of this? Why didn't you tell me sooner?" he snapped at her.

"It just popped in my head while I was asleep. I wanted to forget about those two months, about that entire time. I think that Jake went to the island to try to think of how it was when we were there. When he was happy."

"And you were happy."

"No. I wasn't happy! Nothing made me happy at that time. I was miserable."

"But not miserable enough to come home, to where you were needed. When I needed you. You…"

"You said you forgave me," Liv interrupted him. "You forgave me and that we were moving on."

"I know what I said. I just hate that you went with him."

"It wasn't one of my finer moments but it happened and we agreed that we were done with that. We moved on."

Fitz grabbed her hand and ran his thumb over the ring he gave her at Cyrus's wedding several years ago and stepped out to the hallway to speak with an agent. After a few minutes he came back and started to take off his clothes in front of her.

"Why are you getting undressed?"

He finished undressing down to his boxers and tshirt and moved the covers over on the bed. "I'm spending the night."

"You know that is not a good idea. It's so late already."

"Livie, I'm spending the night. I just sent agents to speak with the FBI and they are going to come up with a plan to get to Zanzibar. I don't want you to spend the night alone when you are in so much pain. And don't you dare try to tell me you aren't because I saw you wincing when I came in. Now just be quiet and go to sleep." He rolled onto his side and pulled her into him before kissing her good night.


End file.
